And on a full moon or something like that we would go out and it had a good rack on top so we didn’t have to tie on – just hang on and watch the stars going by at 70 mph. [10] Tommy Hall was instrumental in bringing the band members together, and joined the group as lyricist and electric jug player. We didn’t have any control over that album. Chris Gerniottis, ex-lead singer of Zakary Thaks has spoken repeatedly of how the Elevators stood apart from all the other bands on the regional scene, and they continued to influence these bands during the late 1960s. The 13th Floor Elevators Edit Did You Know? And actually, Roky was friends with Janis Joplin and brought her out there and we actually introduced her to Big Brother and helped get her into their band. [25] He has told interviewers that he is no longer interested in music or thinks of himself as a musician, and that "I lost my jug a long time ago. [citation needed] These final sessions consisted of Sutherland on guitar, Ronnie Leatherman on bass, and Danny Thomas on drums. Their three studio albums, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators,Easter Everywhere,andBull of the … [27][28], Drummer Walton, like Leatherman, also settled in his hometown of Kerrville, Texas.[27][28][29]. Filling in Stacy Sutherland's spot on lead guitar was Greg "Catfish" Forrest. In 2010, he released True Love Cast Out All Evil, a full-length collaboration with indie rock band Okkervil River. "Slip Inside This House" was covered by Scottish alternative rock band Primal Scream (on their album Screamadelica), by Norwegian band Madrugada, by New York noise rock band Oneida (on their 2000 album Come on Everybody Let's Rock), and by electronic band The Shamen on their 1992 promo, Make It Mine. Erickson attempted a sporadic solo career, burdened by management who exploited his instability and involved him in contracts that left him no control or profit from his music. And they did all instrumentals so I bought the first Ventures album and a bass guitar. No, it was John Ike that had a ‘64 Pontiac Bonneville Station Wagon and that was when we were in California. Do you think the Austin Psych Fest [Levitation] 50th reunion show (2015) was the last one? So anyway, Stacy was the one that wanted to get me in the band. Bull of the Woods was largely the work of Stacy Sutherland. [citation needed] He became a devout follower of Scientology in the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, the 13th Floor Elevators influenced bands such as Primal Scream, the Shamen, and Spacemen 3, all of whom covered their songs, and 14 Iced Bears who use an electric jug on their single "Beautiful Child". After his release Sutherland began to drink heavily. [6] In 1969, facing a felony marijuana possession charge, Roky Erickson chose to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital rather than serve a prison term, thus signaling the end of the band's career. The songs were Erickson's "You're Gonna Miss Me", and Hall-Sutherland's "Tried to Hide". And the Grateful Dead. He’d say “Did you take your acid?” He’d make sure everybody did before a show. Oh, yeah. Jason Ankeny of AllMusichas written that the treatments Erickson received during his three-and-a-half-year confinement may have contributed to his subsequent mental troubles. We were in High School. Bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, Nebula, and Names and Faces regard them as an important influence. What was the first instrument you ever picked up? And Stacy, John Ike, and Max they got Bennie – he was a great violinist but he didn’t know a thing about the bass. I play every Tuesday and Wednesday in Fredericksburg with a band called Sol Patch. He produced Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and he had already had million sellers as a producer. The International Artists record label in Houston, also home to contemporary Texas underground groups such as Red Krayola and Bubble Puppy, signed the Elevators to a record contract and released the album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators in November 1966, which became popular among the burgeoning counterculture. They also played on live teen dance shows on TV, such as Sumpin Else, in Dallas, and The Larry Kane Show in Houston. But that was fun. He’d say something to them and they would look at him like “what?” and then he’d just be kidding. John Ike and I had decided…. [citation needed], At one point around 1967, Erickson was a roommate of future cult musician Townes Van Zandt. [11] As a result, they were not credited in the Easter Everywhere sleevenotes, despite having appeared on "(I've Got) Levitation" and "She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)". The band was together from 1965 to 1969, and during that period released four albums and seven singles for the International Artists record label.[7][8]. Yeah, maybe 3 or 4 months and we did American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. I don’t think so but they played at Threadgill’s. I liked him. Some months later, the International Artists label picked it up and re-released it. Jason Ankeny of AllMusic has written that the treatments Erickson received during his three-and-a-half-year confinement may have contributed to his subsequent mental troubles. Tommy Hall did not participate. The band was based in Kerrville, TX and featured a young Ronnie Leatherman who would later play with the 13th Floor Elevators. But the funny thing about her and Roky is that they did folk songs in Austin together. Yeah, It worked out good. Actually, I sold a 1950 Ford Coupe that would probably be worth a fortune now to buy a bass guitar. Drug overuse and related legal problems left the band in a state of constant turmoil, which took its toll, both physically and mentally, on the members. You are credited with writing “With You” on Bull of the Woods – what can you tell us about that song and it’s meaning to you? [citation needed] In 1990, 21 contemporary bands—including R.E.M., ZZ Top, Richard Lloyd, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Primal Scream—recorded covers of Elevators and solo Erickson songs on Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson, one of the first tribute albums. I just knew it was here, here, or here until I learned it all. I don’t know if he forgets to play or just doesn’t want to…. Seminal punk rock band Television played the Elevator's song "Fire Engine" live in the mid-1970s. Yeah, we can say that because Tommy made sure. I remember going to see him and his parents had him put up somewhere and they left him there but I went in and there was probably 10 TVs and 15 radios and they were all on a different channel. 1965. Bull of the Woods is the third studio album by The 13th Floor Elevators, and the last on which they worked as a group. Yeah, International Artists put that out and none of them were actually live. Those shows. THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS, Roky Erickson, Stacy Sutherland, Tommy Hall, Benny Thurman, Ronnie Leatherman, John Ike Walton, Lelan Rogers, John Cleveland - The Psychedelic Sound of the 13th Floor Elevators - Amazon.com Music "You're Gonna Miss Me" was covered by Australian group Radio Birdman on the 1978 release of their album Radios Appear. Well, I had heard Paul Drummond mention something about some guy wanting us to do a show in New York in November but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. They wanted to do a show together with Bubble Puppy and the Elevators in Austin but Roky’s manager and everybody blew that. The 13th Floor Elevators emerged on the local Austin music scene in December 1965,[6] where they were contemporary to bands such as the Wig and the Babycakes and later followed by Shiva's Headband and the Conqueroo. It was just one of those things that came to you in the ‘60s. Every one of those bands has opened for us at one time or another. Of course, that’s all there was to do in Kerrville. During their California tour, the band shared bills with Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Great Society (featuring Grace Slick), and Moby Grape. He auditioned for Hall, but Hall rejected him.[13][14][15]. He recorded All That May Do My Rhyme for the Trance Syndicate label, owned by the Butthole Surfers's King Coffey, who claimed Erickson told him it was the first time he'd ever been given a royalty check for his music. They are credited with being the first band to use the term “psychedelic rock” to describe their sound back in 1965. The original 13th Floor Elevators line-up was built around singer/guitarist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. Stacy Sutherland's guitar duties were covered by Fred Mitchim and Eli Southard. You said that you played two shows the last two nights – who are you currently playing with? The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States,[6] formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. In 2020, Paul Drummond adds the ultimate depth to the Elevators' story with 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History, a book that rightfully can use the cliche "chock full" to describe the goodies between its covers. [19], Stacy Sutherland formed his own band, Ice, which performed only in Houston and never released any material. [6] The final 13th Floor Elevators record released by International Artists was a reissue of the "You're Gonna Miss Me" single in mid-1969. The 13th Floor Elevators* The 13th Floor Elevators* - The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators (Album) 13 versions : International Artists, International Artists: IA-LP-1, L. P. - 1 A - No.1: US: 1966: Sell This Version However, because of an unstable member line-up and the increasingly erratic behavior of the psychedelicized Tommy Hall and mentally fragile Roky Erickson, little of value came out of these sessions. Were you close to many of the other Texas Psych bands? He was easy to get along with. Original members of The 13th Floor Elevators, from left, guitarist Roky Erickson, drummer John Ike Walton and bass player Ronnie Leatherman, prepare for the induction into the Texas Music Hall Half of it was songs from the first original album and they dubbed in crowd noises from Madison Square Gardens and if you listen real close with some headphones you can hear “Hit ‘em again! But every time we weren’t playing with someone else we had a trio. Later, Ronnie Leatherman returned for the third and final studio album, Bull of the Woods along with Thomas, and Sutherland. During their career, the band released four LP records and seven 45s for the International Artists record label.. It’s not coming to me.” But that was the wildest, going in there and all those things were going on. [10], During the initial months of their existence as a band, the electric guitars used both by Roky Erickson and Stacy Sutherland were Gibson ES-330s. So, it was like “How did this happen?”. So, I learned that, went to that band, and said “Here. In November 1967, the band released a second album, Easter Everywhere. It was kinda’ cool. The 13th Floor Elevators took psychedelia to a level no other band ever had. For their debut album, see, The International Artists Record label by, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968, Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson, The Psychedelic World of the 13th Floor Elevators, "Okkervil River Are Roky Erickson's New Backing Band", "The 13th Floor Elevators – Live Evolution Lost", "discogs.com: True Love Cast Out All Evil by Roky Erickson and Okkervil River", "Roky Erickson, Texas psychedelic music legend, has died", http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/ivan-koop-kuper-stacy-and-bunni.html, "Music: High Baptismal Flow: Part 2: The 13th Floor Elevators' ground floors: Where are they now?".